Confronting Fascism in the Arabic Jewish Press - by Lucia Admiraal (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

During the 1930s and 1940s, Jews in the Middle East took part in extensive debates on fascism in the public sphere. How did the rise of fascism impact the ways in which Jews in the region envisioned the past, present and future? Confronting Fascism in the Arabic Jewish Pressexamines Jewish discussions on the positions and identities of Jews in the Middle East within the context of multifocal debates on fascism. Focussing on the Arabic Jewish press in Egypt, Lebanon and Syria, it studies the ideas of its editors and main contributors and their intellectual networks. Putting those debates within the context of social, political and national reorientations following the end of the Ottoman Empire, the book uses an ideas-based and conceptual approach to also connect this history to global debates on fascism centred on the concepts of race, civilization and religion. In doing so, it situates Jewish discussions on fascism in the Middle East not only at the heart of Arab intellectual history, but also as part of a globalizing public sphere during the interwar, war and immediate post-war periods (1933-1948).

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Review Quotes

Confronting Fascism in the Arabic Jewish Press introduces the vibrant conversation among Jewish intellectuals primarily in Egypt and Lebanon amid the turbulent period of emerging conflicting ideologies such as Communism, Fascism, Zionism, and local Nationalism. Admiraal, by conducting exemplary research, ties these discussions to developments taking place in the general society, thus allowing us to de-ghetto-ize Jewish history in the region. The reader will be able to understand later developments in the history of Middle Eastern Jews in a much more nuanced and comprehensive manner.
Lior B Sternfeld, Associate Professor, Penn State University, USA

How did Arab Jewish intellectuals confront Fascism? This book unearths a rich intellectual scene of editors, journalists and writers in the interwar Jewish Arabic press of Egypt and Lebanon, whose response to fascism was rooted in their understanding of Arab nationalism, Zionism, race, and religion. A timely, fascinating and rigorous study.
Yair Wallach, Dr, SOAS, UK

About the Author

Lucia Admiraal is Assistant Professor of Middle Eastern Studies, University of Groningen, The Netherlands.